Published 7:28 pm, Saturday, September 19, 2015

Federal health officials will make efforts to revise regulations on prescribing medication used in the treatment of heroin and other opioid addictions, in the wake of a rise in overdose deaths, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said Thursday.

HHS will move to change regulations related to the prescribing of drugs containing buprenorphine, such as Suboxone, which suppress an addict's cravings for heroin and other opioids.

A story in the Times Union this summer focused on Capital Region addicts' trouble getting Suboxone and other medications. The drug can be prescribed by a primary care doctor.

But prescribing the drug comes with responsibilities that most doctors are unfamiliar with, addiction medicine experts said. Doctors who are willing to take on the additional work are limited to 100 patients getting the drug.

One concern about expanding access is that more of the prescription drug will make it to the black market. Some drug users buy it to get high. Others buy it on the street for its intended purpose, because they cannot get the medication through a legitimate doctor, area experts said.

Revised federal regulations will be developed to balance the need to expand the supply of buprenorphine, encourage the use of medication in treatment, and limit the risk of the drug being sold on the street, HHS said Thursday.

There has long been a stigma attached to taking medication for addiction, the thought being that a user is still hooked on a drug — even if it's a legal, highly controlled, prescription drug. Burwell stressed that scientific evidence has shown the medications to be effective as an aid to counseling and other behavioral treatment.